Benny and Lanny

June 2009

MASON CITY — Miniature poodles Benny and Lanny finally got their happy ending Friday afternoon after months of surgeries and veterinary visits.

The two dogs were adopted by Crystal Lake residents Monica and her daughter Kelli, who did not want to reveal their last name.

“I fell in love with them,” Monica said of the dogs that she first visited at the Humane Society of North Iowa in March.

Benny and Lanny were found at the R Campground in Charles City and brought to the Humane Society of North Iowa. The two dogs had been very neglected.

Benny had to have invasive surgery on his saliva glands and be neutered, while Lanny had to be spayed and treated for a skin condition that caused her to have very little fur. Both dogs had to be put under anesthesia for dental work, too, said Sybil Soukup, executive director of the Humane Society.

All of the surgeries were risky because the dogs are 9 or 10 years old, Soukup said.

“They made a 180-degree turn-around,” she said.

Lanny now has fur and has nearly doubled in size, and Benny no longer has a growth under his chin. Both have better temperaments, too.

Monica said they’re completely different from when she first saw them in March.

She decided to look into adopting the dogs after hearing Soukup talk about them on the radio.

“We just wanted to come and give them a good home,” Monica said.

She said they can’t wait to take the dogs for their first walks in a dog stroller and plan to spoil them.

“This is their happy ending,” Soukup said. “This is what the Humane Society is all about — the happy endings that walk out our doors.”

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March 2009

Recently, two miniature poodles were found wandering the "R" Campground in Charles City, IA. Two campers there found the dogs and knew they needed immediate attention and brought them to the Humane Society of North Iowa in Mason City.

The staff of the Humane Society took one look at these dogs and could hardly imagine that anyone out there could have treated these animals so poorly and allowed them to suffer as long as they obviously had. Shelter staff knew that they must take the dogs in and give them a chance at a better life.

The white female poodle, Lanny, has barely any fur on her small emaciated 3 pound body. Her skin is rough and dry; she has raw patches of flesh from where she has itched and rubbed. Her skin condition is in such poor shape, it is hard to fathom how much pain it has caused her over the many months and possibly years that she has suffered from the condition. Lanny's ears were full of wax build-up, hair, and other materials that made it likely impossible for her to have any hearing ability. Lanny's teeth are also in poor condition. She is still in the diagnosis stage of her veterinarian work, but it is likely that she will need to have teeth removed to prevent further decay and infection.

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Lanny's buddy, Benny, is an apricot colored miniature poodle. Benny has fur on his body, but it's so matted that you can't tell what parts are fur and what parts are Benny! Fur becomes matted on an animal when the animal hasn't been properly groomed or brushed. Benny's fur is so matted that it looks as though he's never been groomed or brushed. Matted fur is quite painful to animals as it would similar to someone pulling the hair on your head constantly. Shelter staff has to immediately trim much of the matting from the front of Benny's face since the matting was almost entirely obstructing his vision. The rest of the matting is so thick, that it will be left to professionals to trim. Like Lanny, Benny also had lots of wax build-up in his ears. His teeth are also full of decay and will require extensive dental work.

But the most atrocious condition on Benny is large mass hanging from his chin. Benny is a 3-4 pound miniature poodle and has an almost baseball sized "sac" hanging from his chin. Veterinarians are still working to properly diagnose exactly what the mass is, but you can tell that it is a painful, cumbersome burden to poor little Benny to have to carry and support the weight of this large mass day to day.

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The ailments and conditions listed here may just be the tip of the iceberg of how these dogs are suffering. In spite of their obvious suffering, and in spite of their obvious lengthy neglect, these wonderful little dogs are the most loving and friendly companions you'll ever meet. They both love to snuggle and give "kisses". It is surprising the demeanor of these two considering how deplorable one can assume their previous life was just a few days ago. The Humane Society of North Iowa whole-heartedly feels like these two dogs deserve a chance at a better life than they've had. Both appear to be around 10 years old, but considering their physical condition, still behave like sprightly young dogs.

Gratefully, the local media has picked up this story and have given Lanny and Benny some time in the spotlight by relaying their stories and pleading with the public to help. People have already been very supportive and concerned about the well-being of these two special little dogs and have shown it by stopping by the Humane Society shelter to visit them and by making contributions to help offset the sizable expense the Humane Society will incur to rehabilitate Lanny and Benny.

It is the greatest hope of the Humane Society that we will help Lanny and Benny see a better day and be adopted into a loving "forever home".

We also hope that we will never have to see another case of such drastic neglect of any animal that comes through our doors. But, if we do, rest assured, the Humane Society is committed to the care and treatment of all animals that rely on us.